THE PROFESSOR'S PIPE TOBACCO REVIEWS

Blatter & Blatter Tobaccos

Not just a tobacco shop, these folks are also known for the excellent pipes that they make. And no,
their pipes don't all have flat bottoms... It just seems I've developed a weakness for that feature. Apparently,
their flat-bottomed pipes are quite popular, so I guess I'm not the only one who likes them. The one on
the left has a somewhat wider bowl than the side view would suggest. The one on the right is an excellent
smoker as well. They carry a wide range of English and aromatic tobacco blends, including many Rattray's
blends in bulk. They also do mail order.

Baker Street

This is actually a Lane mixture sold in bulk. Dark brown and black, it has a rich, almost sweet, latakia
flavour and a strong, pleasant, woodsy aroma. Wide cut that burns slowly to the extent that it is rather
difficult burning if smoked indoors. Despite its full, rich flavour, which is smooth and not at all sharp,
this is not one of those tobaccos whose strength knocks you off your feet. It would be ideal for someone
who loves latakia flavour and aroma but finds latakia blends too heady in general. Its wide cut makes
it a bit difficult to get lit and keep lit. Probably best smoked in a wide-bowled pipe. '96

Blatter Reserve

This is one of my favourite tobaccos ever; I just never tire of it. It's as good in the morning as
it is in a big pipe in the evening. The fragrance and sweetness of Virginias wed perfectly with rich Turkish
tobaccos, a generous helping of latakia, a dash of spicy perique and some black Cavendish for extra sweetness
and aroma. This is a dark English blend, almost black with reddish medium-brown pieces, that smokes exceptionally
smooth and somehow manages to be both full-flavoured and light at the same time. Mark Shelor put it most
succinctly when he commented that, "It leaves a very full impression without being overwhelming." It has
a natural sweetness and almost flowery flavour at certain moments (probably due to one of the Virginia
components), which would even make it appropriate for aromatic smokers who are interested in trying English
blends. Its flavour is fairly complex and sometimes it tastes different from pipe to pipe or from day
to day (it sometimes varies slightly from batch to batch as well). For anyone else who enjoys this quality,
try Legacy (from The Smoker, Albany, NY) or Dobie's
Four Square Green. A friend of mine says the aroma smells like chocolate, while others have picked
up on its brown-sugar pouch aroma. Its aroma does at times remind me of baked goods, but at other times
I just pick up on its heavy-latakia aspect. Medium to large cut that burns slow, but well, and smokes
dry. I've never had anything quite like it yet. '96

Blatter 1907

The Blatters sometimes suggest this one for new pipe smokers and I can indeed understand why. Essentially
a mild cavendish with a bit of light burley thrown in for spice, it is mild and slightly sweet and aromatic,
yet quite satisfying because it provides some natural tobacco flavour as well. Too often, from what I
hear, tobacconists will often suggest insipidly light blends for a new pipe smoker. This one gives off
a beautiful vanilla aroma that is fairly strong and lingers for some time, but has a toasted aroma to
it, not a cloyingly sweet one. It burns well and smokes dry. The burley component gains strength towards
the bottom of the bowl, which surprised me the first time I smoked it, given the blend's overall mildness.
'95

Burley

I generally don't like burley blends all that much, but here's a major exception. This is a Lane's
blend that is supposed to be burley in its natural state, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone told
me that it has been sweetened a bit. This light, fluffy and dry tobacco is an attractive orange-tinted
medium brown and cut into short, wide pieces that don't stick together. Its appealing pouch aroma suggests
the slightest hint of coconut to my nose. On the palate it is light-tasting, nutty and just barely sweet,
but the flavour is ultimately more distinctive than the smoke's light body would first suggest. The good
news is that it doesn't bite, although it might start to if you insist on smoking it too hard. The room
aroma is a strong, almost sweet, toasted aroma that does linger for a while. Typical of burleys, it contains
a good amount of nicotine, so you'll probably know if you're smoking it a bit fast. A very nice simple
smoke. '95

Danish Slices

I am surprised at how much I have enjoyed these thin medium- and light-brown Virginia slices in my
Genod 3/4-bent, curved-bore pipe on weekend mornings. Judging by their earthy and
slightly sweet aroma in the pouch, I first expected something rather dull-tasting. True, the flavour is
indescribably neutral in character, something along the lines of Rattray's
Old Gowrie, but less full, green and creamy tasting. Still, Danish Slices has some interesting qualities:
its vaguely honey-like aftertaste that is without bitterness, and I like what I might call its transparent
flavor. By transparent, I mean that the smoke is clear-tasting to the point that I sometimes get the false
impression that I can taste the briar pipe itself as I smoke. Oddly enough, its mild flavour doesn't get
totally flattened if I smoke it while drinking strong, black coffee. I really like the room aroma after
smoking this, which is a bit stronger than one would expect. There is nothing perfumy or incense-like
about it; instead, the aroma reminds me of my great-grandfather's old house with its pleasant, subtle
mustiness, with just a hint of sweetness, and a note of something toasted. For a light Virginia blend,
this smokes fairly smooth (much smoother than Dobie's Curlies, another
very mildly flavoured blend), but I suspect that, if I were to smoke this all day long, it would bite
my tongue. '96

This mixture of reddish brown and blackish tobacco, dominated by darker tones distinguishes itself
by providing a flavour that is mainly a blend of black cavendish and latakia. A bit of Virginia and perhaps
other Orientals have been added to balance the blend a bit better. Which of the two dominant flavours
you pick up on will largely depend on your palate and what you are used to smoking. I, being a smoker
of a lot of heavy latakia blends, notice the black cavendish much more than the latakia. However, one
Virginia smoker (Ben Soo) mentioned that he found the latakia flavour to be stronger than that of the
black cavendish. I personally consider it to be a black-cavendish blend, but not a typical one; the added
latakia gives it an extraordinarily heavy body for what is essentially an aromatic blend. It is a slightly
moist tobacco, like most that contain black cavendish and burns well and smokes very smooth. It is not
at all harsh blown out through the nose or inhaled. It probably would appeal most to black cavendish smokers
who would like something a bit more gutsy than the usual black-cavendish blend, but who don't want to
sacrifice the familiar flavour and sweetness. On the other hand, it might be equally appealing to English
smokers who enjoy the taste of black cavendish, but would like to experience an aromatic smoke that is
not completely devoid of the body that latakia provides. This blend resembles Blatter
Reserve in some ways, except that the intricate complexity and almost chocolate-like flavours in the
Reserve are supplanted by the dominant taste of black cavendish. The room aroma is similarly affected;
a black cavendish aroma prevails, but the presence of latakia makes it heavier and not so sweet. For my
personal taste, I find this a little too sweet and too uniform to be one of my regular smokes, but it's
one that I have immensely enjoyed many times when I have a craving for something sweet. '96

Mild English

As an aficionado of the darker English blends, the very name of this one turned me off somewhat, and
it was only because of the recommendation of a customer in the shop one day that I ended up trying it.
And I'm glad I did! It is overall a medium reddish-brown, but contains some latakia and some blonder tobaccos
as well. Some of the Virginias in this blend have a natural sweetness that reminds me a little bit of
Erinmore Mixture, but without the perfume. The body of the smoke is distinctly
on the light side of medium, and would be quite a bit lighter were it not for the smattering of latakia
and perhaps other orientals in the mixture. The balance of flavours is very pleasant, with the subtle
Virginia sweetness dominating over the less abundant, richer, heavier elements. It is an exceedingly smooth,
almost creamy-tasting smoke with no bite whatsoever, a quality I don't expect from a tobacco so mild in
flavour. Its mildness makes it a perfect smoke for exhaling through the nose, and it's not harsh if inhaled
either. This would be an excellent all-day smoke and a good choice for either a new pipe smoker or an
smoker of mild aromatics who wants to try out an English blend that is neither excessively rich nor earthy
in flavour. Its room aroma seems quite pleasant as well: natural, a bit sweet-smelling, and with just
a hint of latakia to pass on an English character. It burns cleanly to an uneven white-grey ash. I also
found this to be a nice tobacco for breaking in a new pipe, its flavour being quite compatible with the
slight woody taste that one experiences when smoking a brand-new pipe. '95

#11

A smooth, medium-full, English-style blend with a rich flavour that is marked by chocolate-like notes,
more or less along the lines of Rattray's Accountants blend. Contains a fair amount of latakia, but its
flavour is less dominant than in Baker Street (above). Burns well and slowly. Excellent. '95

Here is a pipe by the French pipemaker Genod. A very nice smoke indeed. The distinctive feature of this
pipe is its curved bore, which permits the unusually graceful curve at the bottom of the shank. The Blatters
occasionally have a couple of Genod pipes in stock. I've seen them both in natural finish and that dark
burgundy colour.